Private bus operators demand fare hike

The government should allow a bus fare hike if it could not grant concessions to the private bus owners, the Inter-Provincial Private Bus Association (IPPBA) Secretary Anjana Priyanjith said yesterday.

Fuel prices had increased dramatically and the already battered industry would collapse without an immediate fare increase, he said. Priyanjith said that the private bus owners were in trouble with the beginning of the pandemic. “We were struggling and we asked the government for a concession on diesel. If not, we need to increase the minimum bus fare to Rs. 25, which is currently at Rs.14, and to increase the total bus fare by 25 percent,” he said. (RK)